Category: Economics

Will Any Crap We Put into Graphene Increase Its Electrocatalytic Effect?

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Stop the Madness!

‘It seems that whatever “crap” we put into graphene, electrocatalysis increases.’ That’s according to Martin Pumera, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Czech Republic, and colleagues, whose experiments prove their point.

Pumera’s team has added bird droppings to graphene electrodes, and in doing so improved the efficiency of splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen electrochemically…But the invention is not intended for serious use. Instead, it’s a final attempt to draw attention to how meaningless studies are that try to improve graphene’s electrocatalytic efficiency by adding other elements. They stress that there are up to two million combinations for any four of the 84 reasonably stable elements from the periodic table. They question the value of such studies. ‘Stop this never-ending doping madness,’ says Pumera…

Pumera now says that this is ‘the final point of my decade with graphene’…‘My goal was to inspire people to be more critical in general and I hope I at least in part succeeded.’

‘Nuff said! RTFA.

Palau National Marine Sanctuary became law New Year’s Day

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A huge marine protected area surrounding much of the Pacific Island nation of Palau went into effect Jan. 1, 2020, after years of planning by local officials and advocates. Within the sanctuary, which covers 80 percent of Palau’s national waters, all extractive activities such as fishing and mining are now prohibited…

Palau, an archipelago made up of more than 500 islands, became a global leader in efforts to establish fully protected marine areas when its Congress voted in October 2015 to establish the Palau National Marine Sanctuary…Only about 7 percent of the world’s ocean is protected today, according to the United Nations, although a global consensus is building that at least 30 percent must be safeguarded by 2030 to protect ecosystems, preserve the livelihoods of coastal communities that depend on fishing, and increase resilience to a changing climate.

At 475,077 square kilometers (183,000 square miles) the fully protected area is one of the biggest in the world. The area is larger than the U.S. state of California and home to thriving marine life. Palau’s waters host more than 1,300 species of fish and more than 400 species of hard coral…

Bravo! A nation with an understanding of thoughtful economics, modern ethics and the courage to implement both.

Tesla cop car is so cool, people being pulled over love it!

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The Tesla Model 3 police cruiser used by the Bargersville, Indiana Police Department is a big hit among officers. But interestingly enough, drivers who are pulled over by the electric police vehicle may like it even more than the officers responsible for keeping the town’s 7,700 people safe.

“I got a guy for speeding on (Indiana State Road) 37 and all he wanted to talk about was the Tesla,” Bargersville Police Chief Todd Bertram stated. “During that same traffic stop, somebody honks and a guy is hanging out of his window with a phone taking video,” he said in an interview with the IndyStar.

The Bargersville Police force added the Tesla Model 3 to its team in August 2019. The Model 3 replaced one of four Dodge Chargers used for patrolling the streets of the Indiana town, and there are plans to eventually swap out the other three petrol-powered vehicles in favor of Teslas.

Way cool. Even cooler is the number of backwards stock market geeks who continue to place losing bets against Tesla. Over the last seven months, investors shorting TSLA lost $8.4 billion.

Waste Management 3 R’s

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Called the “three R’s” of waste management, this waste hierarchy is the guidance suggested for creating a sustainable life. Reduce, recycle, reuse. You might be wondering as to how can you incorporate these principles in your daily life. They are not hard to implement.

And if Walmart can manage to do it, I think we all can.

Our weekly shopping draws from 4 stores. Each Sunday morning, we head out to the 2 with the best deals/prices [mostly] for our groceries and consumables for the coming week. This Sunday morning started out at Walmart – followed by Trader Joe. Just happened to notice these boxes on our way to the self checkout.

Return to equitable taxation of wealth

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” For most of the last four decades, the gains from economic growth have flowed overwhelmingly to the rich. Much of those gains to the rich weren’t “earned” in any traditional sense, but rather extracted, excess profits squeezed out of a system designed to favor those who already have power, position and wealth. Today, the top 1% of Americans own more wealth than the bottom 90% combined…

” America’s overall tax system is only barely progressive – meaning that the richest Americans pay only a bit more in taxes as a share of their income than everyone else. And at the very top, among those taking home hundreds of millions each year, the tax code is actually regressive, meaning the more they make the less they pay. The richest 1% own nearly 40% of all the wealth, but pay only 20% of all the taxes.

” Boosting rich people’s taxes is sound policy. Extreme inequality is like economic pollution. It creates widespread harm that the polluters don’t pay for. Inequality makes bubbles more likely, it undermines the foundations for innovation and productivity, and it weakens and destabilizes consumer demand. Taxing it like pollution helps make the costs clearer and reduces the harm.

I don’t care to personalize or demonize the fight for equitable taxation. Money stashed in a no-name blank box still needs to be put to use to educate an ignorant population of children [and their parents]. There is no shortage of needs to be filled – just as there is even less of a shortage of cash. It simply needs relocation, re-allocation. That needn’t impair economic growth or innovation. Improvement is more likely.

If you believe the Democratic Party will aid the fight, please join them. I think a certain portion of effort should be allocated in that direction – if for nothing else than to reverse their history, frankly, of selling out working class families. Otherwise, move to the Left, a little or a lot. Find the level of commitment that satisfies your conscience. Everyone is welcome.

The broader and deeper any political struggle constructs a base aids the likelihood of success.

Autonomous tractor/trailer goes coast-to-coast in <3 days

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Click to enlarge

” Plus.ai said one of its vehicles had hauled a refrigerator trailer full of butter 2,800 miles from California to Pennsylvania in less than three days.

It relied on sensors, cameras, radar and Lidar (light detection and ranging) technology and computer vision software underpinned by artificial intelligence.

But a driver and engineer rode along. [Of course!]

” “This cross-country freight run… shows the safety, efficiency and maturity of our autonomous trucks, which are already delivering freight for other partners several days a week,” said co-founder Shawn Kerrigan.

“Continued advances in our autonomous trucks will make it possible for these quick cross-country runs to be the norm in the future.”

Of course.